San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen spoke to reporters on Wednesday as the team prepares for its preseason matchup against the New Orleans Saints. Here is everything he said.
Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.
How do you think LB Dee Winters did in the game?
"Dee was fun. He played hard, he was flying around. It wasn't perfect, some of the execution stuff, but just seeing him, like I was saying, just taking that next step to cut it loose, you saw that. So it was fun to see Dee get out there, get some playing time and play fast and violent."
With him, he's so fast. Does he have to worry about playing too fast sometimes? Kind of running beyond tackles, things like that?
"No, it's just assignments sometimes and knowing where to line up. Just being in the right spot. It's just details, the fundamental details. And then once you have that and that's second nature, that's when you see him really flying and taking his shots. We want him to play like that just all the time. So it's just, how can we cut it loose like that as consistently as possible?"
What did you see from you from CB Renardo Green on Saturday?
"I saw a young kid that played a lot and played two spots in the same game, playing nickel and corner. It's really cool to see that he could handle that and played well. Again, it wasn't perfect. But some of the stuff he did was really competitive. Getting that many snaps and being able to do those two things was awesome."
What are you seeing from LB Curtis Robinson this year?
"Curtis is, he continues to get better. He's been here three years and he made some really big plays for us. The play before the play when [S] Malik [Mustapha] made that nice hit, he had a good tackle on the third down to keep it to fourth. Had another touchdown-saving effort tackle on the screen where they threw out that screen on the third-and-10, we had a miss tackle and he starts getting out of a couple tackles and he makes that tackle, I think they might score. So the effort of him to make that play, get off the block early and just fly across the field held them to a field goal attempt and they missed the field goal. So that, and just command in the huddle was good to see. Curtis can play all three positions. He had a good game."
The offense has been hit harder by the injuries than maybe the defense has. Does it hurt much that you're losing these Saints practices when you are fairly healthy on defense?
"I think [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] made the right choice. I think just situationally, I think it was kind of a culmination of things. The decision was about, is it what's best for the team to make us ready for Week One? And I think it was just the right decision. How he explained it to everybody was exactly what he felt and I think it was the right choice."
You talked about Malik Mustapha. What did you see from him during the first game?
"Someone who cut it loose the entire game and played physical. The stuff that we saw on tape in college, why we loved him, really a violent player. He played smart too, as far as being able to communicate, being in the right spots, that he didn't hesitate and played with the violent finishes that you saw and everyone saw. It was really cool. Really, he had a good game."
DL Robert Beal Jr. got a lot of work. How did you think he did?
"He made some nice plays, wasn't perfect. I want him to just be more aggressive and just cutting it loose and playing as fast and as violent as he can at the line just every single time. But his effort was there, his finish was there. He made a couple nice tackles that they probably would've gotten more yards if he didn't, so he just needs to play more. That's just the bottom line. I think the more he plays the better he's going to get."
Why do you guys like bigger defensive ends, like 270, as opposed to like 240?
"Well, I mean you have to set an edge. If you can be bigger and still be fast and still get to the quarterback, that's always a good thing, right? I don't think it's always, you're going to confine yourself with, you have to be this size always. If you can set an edge and knock somebody back, knock a tackle back and set that edge and you're at a different weight, that's fine too. It's more about how they fit the scheme and are you going to do the right stuff that we need to play good defense."
What would you say is your overall assessment of your defense at this point?
"Right now, I would say it's good and we're continuing to get better. I love our energy. I think we can always compete more. I think we've taken the ball away, I feel like we could've taken it more in the game. We just got the one. I know we had the two, fourth-down stops, which we love to count those as turnover on downs. I like how we're playing aggressive and we're communicating well. Depth-wise, really even the young guys and the new guys, my favorite part is how our guys compete and how they're getting closer together as a unit, because we did have a lot of new guys. So what's exciting is how much they're gravitating towards each other and really making this defense their own."
Traditionally, you guys have kept nine or 10 defensive linemen, gone heavy at that position. What is your comfort level with that group right now and do you feel like you have that many guys who would be on the 53?
"I think we'll find out. I think they're competing and it's a competitive group. I think, really on all three levels, it's really competitive. So I think however the numbers sort out, we're going to have the best number of guys that we need for Week One. It's never, every year is a little bit different. So it's, 'hey, if we got this many linebackers or DBs or D-Linemen,' you kind of just make that choice based on who has separated themselves and where we think that this guy is the best for our team."
Along those lines, DL Kalia Davis' injury seems to open up an opportunity. How are DL Shakel Brown and DL Evan Anderson doing at that position?
"First off, that sucks for, Kalia was having an awesome camp. He really had a heck of an offseason. Just talking to him, he was excited. For him, it was, I talked with him, it was about being consistent and being who he is all the time. I know he's had some injuries in the past, but I loved how he was playing. I was so fired up for him, and it was every day. And he has good energy too. It wasn't just his mindset and how he is as a person and how he was as a player, but he was playing good too. So, I was bummed about it. But to know that he can come back and will come back, talking to him yesterday on the phone too, he knows that you can come back stronger. And now it's the next man up, just like any position. So with those guys step up, right? It's their opportunity to show us what you have. You have two more weeks, two more preseason games. And as good as Kalia was doing, let's see someone else step up, be that consistent. How fast can I grow in this system and do it the right way and be aggressive?"
If S Talanoa Hufanga is not ready for Week One, do you feel pretty confident saying S George Odom would be the starter?
"He's done a heck of a job. He's gotten the ball a lot. I don't rule any competition out or set anything in stone. We do have time left. But G.O. has done an awesome job. So has [S Ji'Ayir Brown] Tig. So has Malik. All the guys that we have, it's competitive. But G.O. is really, he's gotten better. Like I said, even from last year to this year, from the year before to last year. He continues to grow with his communication, with how he gets the ball and feeling comfortable in our system."